Another great ‘neighbor’ in Litchfield County is Bantam Tileworks, the brainchild of Travis Messinger and Darin Ronning, who had previously been running a store in Lower Manhattan that was part coffee shop and part tableware store called Pepper Jones. One of the things they learned from that experience was how much they valued and enjoyed working with each other, and directly with their customers.
This approach to connecting with their customers was immediately evident in the warm and friendly greeting I received from Darin when I recently visited their Store/Showroom/Studio in Bantam, Connecticut…
Officially opened in 2004, Bantam Tileworks remains a work in process. They make and sell tableware as well as custom tiles – I was dazzled by the glazing techniques they have developed and that are on display.
Inspired by the remarkable colorations and iridescent effects of the Tiffany Studios glass tiles, Darin and Travis have experimented endlessly, to see what was possible with glazing, for more than a year with over 8,000 glaze colors and types, developing ways to achieve multi-layered depth to the glazes.
Detail of an installation using Bantam Tileworks custom glazed subway tiles.
Samples showing part of the range of glazes at Bantam Tileworks
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Take a look at the Bantam Tileworks Catalogue to learn more about what they can do with tiles – the images of some of the glaze options are incredible and alchemical!
I cannot wait to work with Darin and Travis to make tile magic!
BANTAM TILEWORKS 816 Bantam Road Bantam, Connecticut 06750
860-361-9306
Open 7 days a week!